Tonight I feel the deepest appreciation for generations of my family, including those no longer with us and a special thank you to my Italian family and friends in Rome, and in my Grandfather's hometown of Sant'Agata dei Goti and my Grandmother's hometown of Grassano. To them I say: grazie a tutti!
Earlier this evening, I received a call from Joe Lhota. Even though we have our differences, I know he loves this city as much as I do.
To everyone whose vote I didn't earn today: I promise that I won't stop working to earn your trust.
I've spoken often about a Tale of Two Cities. That inequality -- that feeling of a few doing very well, while so many slip further behind -- that is the defining challenge of our time. Because inequality in New York is not something that only threatens those who are struggling.
The stakes are so high for every New Yorker. And making sure no son or daughter of New York falls behind defines the very promise of our city.
New York is the brightest embodiment of the idea behind American greatness: It doesn't matter where you were born what you look like what your religion is, or who you love.
If you have brains and heart and guts and faith, this city -- more than any other in the world -- will offer you a real chance at a better life.
For generations, New York has meant opportunity. That's what it has been to so many, and that what it must be again.
It's how immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island -- those with nothing to their names but a few bags and high hopes -- started businesses that became bedrocks of entire communities.
It's how kids who have grown up poor, from every borough, have become CEOs and playwrights fashion designers and architects doctors and teachers.
It's how for generations, even in the
face of untold economic stress, working parents in New York knew
this city had their back they knew if they gave it all they had,
this city would reward their kids with a shot, a real shot, at
something better.
New Yorkers are strong and resilient, dedicated and big-hearted. Our greatness is not accidental. But neither is it inevitable.
To maintain that greatness and to ensure that our brightest days are ahead of us, we must commit ourselves to progressive ideas that will lift us all.
It won't be easy, but it is essential. It is a challenge I know this city is up to because I've seen the commitment of New Yorkers from every borough, every neighborhood, every income bracket the commitment to rise to this challenge of our time together.
The best and the brightest are born in every neighborhood. We all have a shared responsibility -- and a shared stake -- in making sure their destiny is defined by how hard they work and how big they dream, not by their Zip code.
So when we call on the wealthiest among us to pay just a little more in taxes to fund universal Pre-K and after-school programs we aren't threatening anyone's success. We are asking those who've done very well to ensure that every child has the same opportunity to do just as well as they have.
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